White Akatsuki
by Haylin Santach
Summary: After Sasuke left, Naruto has also disappeared. Abandoning Konoha and team seven for reasons unknown to all but him. As if this wasn't enough a new and peculiar branch of Akatsuki have appeared.
1. 1: Cyclical

White Akatsuki - chapter 1: Cyclical

* * *

For the most part, Konoha was experiencing a rare quiet day. Market stalls had closed early and the usually bustling streets were calm with barely a single sandal to churn up the dirt.

However one place was the most silent of them all. A large field of graves spread like patchwork across the ground, all fresh and still bare of grass. Mourners stood slumped nearby, shovels offset like props in a stage scene. Regardless of clan or affiliation they were keeping watch, united in their sorrow.

Konoha was grieving.

* * *

Tsunade had seen this scene too many times to count now. The acrid stench of sweat mixing with newly upturned earth, the sun's blinding rays casting only stark flat light across the day. She knew this was both an ending and a beginning, the end of a struggle but the start of the healing.

With one last glance at the graves Tsunade moved away from the burial grounds, making her way slowly through the empty streets. It was eerie she supposed to see such busy streets dead, perhaps the city itself was in mourning, with so many of its residents now gone. But as always she walked on, steeling her heart in a coffin of responsibility, for now was not the time for her to grieve. She had to work, to help stitch the village and its people back together. After all, Konoha's enemies wouldn't respect the time for mourning, so neither could she.

It startled Tsunade to notice she'd walked all the way to the main gate of the village. The large doors were absent and the sentinel box missing its lazy inhabitants. She met eyes with the only person she'd seen on her walk, Naruto.

"It all feels so real now oba-chan doesn't it." He joked mirthlessly, "you don't remember at the time how much it's all going to change." He looked away from her, frowning heavily.

Tsunade sighed and walked forwards to rest a hand on his shoulder,

"It's always frightening to see the aftermath of battle, Naruto. But life will continue and before you know it will have returned to normal again."

An odd expression entered Naruto's face as he leaned away from her touch,

"like a cycle…" he said looking down, mouth lifting into a mocking semblance of its usual sunny smile.

"I suppose you could look at it in that way brat, we're hardy creatures us konohonians!" she crowed and ruffled his hair. Grinning at him Tsunade slapped him on the back making him stumble and look up at her,

"come' on kiddo, its not just about the lives you end in battle. Its those you save."

Naruto seemed to consider her statement before shaking his head and plastering on a grin,

"heh! I suppose you're right oba-chan!" glancing at her slyly he crowed, "makes sense you'd know since you're so old!"

A vein tensed in Tsunade's neck and she emitted a low growl,

"start running brat." She rasped, flexing her arms. Luckily for Naruto's sake he ran off just as she swiped at him, missing by inches.

Tsunade huffed loudly watching the blonde ran off, she'd be the last to admit it but she was fond of the brat. She knew he held Konoha in his heart, and even through all the chaos of the last few days, he'd persevered. It was almost painful how much he was reminding her of Minato recently, but that hard-headedness? That was all Kushina.

* * *

That night was hard on everyone, the first moments people had to truly rest and take in the changes. Naruto lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He didn't know how to express the maelstrom of emotions inside: sadness, exhaustion and anger all pounded through his head fighting to be the most prominent.

A sharp cold shot through his stomach as he lay there and he began to shake. Fear crept through his bones and whispered sweet temptations in his ears.

 _Fear of dying. Fear of the future. Fear for Sasuke and Sakura. Fear of the fights to come._

Naruto had faced a lot of adversity in his short life, after all, growing up the village pariah will scar a mind in the harshest of ways. But he had overthrown those dark thoughts and impulses, pushed the fear out of his mind and been only determined to prove them wrong. But this was different. The battle three days ago and the days since had shown him aspects of people he thought he knew well. His carefully grown place in team seven had been roughly ripped to pieces with the disappearance of Sasuke.

His team was broken. Sakura was listless, floating from place to place like a ghost. Not even her old rivalry with Ino could shake he out of her funk. To make things worse Kakashi was no-where to be found. Tsunade had said he was simply mourning in his own way, but Naruto knew he was hiding, pretending nothing had changed.

Naruto whimpered lowly, yet again he'd been abandoned in the cold by the people he had depended on. Sasuke was his brother in arms, his teammate whom he could trust with his life, but he'd run away for nothing but power. Old man hokage had left him behind to deal with the chaos on his own. Jiraiya his mentor, missing at a time when he was needed the most. They'd all dropped Naruto like an unwanted burden. Just like people had all throughout his life.

Waves of terror crashed into Naruto's soul blurring the real world with illusions. Images of the past and future overlapped as Naruto curled into a small quivering ball. Blood ran down his arms as he clutched them, oblivious to the nails tearing through his skin as he hugged his limbs as tightly to his body as possible as if fearing that they too would leave him. He couldn't breathe, its was all of a sudden too hot but freezing, the ceiling seemed to spin into a bottomless vortex before his eyes.

But then it all stopped.

Clarity reigned in Naruto's mind as he unfurled and sat up. A soft smile crept onto his face. Still oblivious to his wounds he stood and strode across his apartment gathering objects as he went. Perhaps if he left first it would break the cycle. They couldn't leave him if he left first after all.

* * *

Haaa I literally cannot believe how hastily written all my stories are… because I still like the plots (yes I have them all written down -_-') I'm going to attempt to improve them. Hopefully even though Naruto as a series has finished the fandom still lives on!


	2. 2: Bumps in the Night

White Akatsuki - chapter 2: Bumps in the Night

* * *

Despite the chaos of the day before Konoha didn't wake to well-deserved peace the next morning. The fitful sleep of the survivors was disrupted by a scream from none other than Tsunade Senju.

"WHERE IS HE!" Tsunade roared angrily pouring herself a cup of sake, "he was supposed to meet us two hours ago and now no one knows where he is!"

Shizune briskly whisked the cup away and placed down a glass of orange juice,

"Lady Tsunade you know Kakashi-san is prone to being late," she giggled, "Sakura claims he doesn't appear for training until at least three hours after it starts."

Tsunade sighed wearily while glaring at the orange juice like it was a certain silver haired nin.

"send someone to his house to drag him up here," she declared briefly, then she stood up and grinned, "better yet send that person to go get him, then he might understand how irritating his little ritual is."

"where are you going lady Tsunade?"

"It seems Naruto is taking after his sensei," she chuckled airily as she walked out the door.

Descending the tower to street level Tsunade, at an admittedly relaxed pace, pondered about how to punish the brat for forgetting to come to their meeting. It was laughable to assume Naruto was actually picking up Kakashi's habitual lateness, but she knew Iruka always complained about how the boy had always had trouble waking up for class. To be truthful Tsunade was fairly concerned about Naruto, he hadn't taken Sasuke's desertion well. She was fully aware of how Naruto had viewed him as a brother figure. That was Naruto's biggest flaw though, he was almost too soft for ninja life. Too emotive and malleable, it made it scarily easy to hurt him.

Smiling and waving to the exhausted residents of Konoha, Tsunade stopped here and there on her way to ask how people were doing. Keeping the civilians on her side was as important as the ninja and council. After all, a leader cannot lead if people are unwilling to follow. So far Tsunade thought she was doing fairly well for having the role of Hokage suddenly thrust upon her. Even though she was missing the usual aid of the previous hokage she had the council members and clan heads to help her manage the village. She chuckled lightly at her own thoughts, previously she hadn't even known the meaning of the word delegation. Another thing to thank Shizune for.

Upon reaching Naruto's apartment building Tsunade was surprised to see Naruto's landlord stood outside talking avidly with some of the older residents of the complex.

"Ueda-san is everything okay?" Tsunade asked approaching them. Ueda turned to face her shifting around nervously,

"a-ah hokage-sama what brings you down here so early in the morning?" he simpered.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the slimy old man,

"I'm here to check on Naruto, has he left yet?"

Ueda's eyes widened considerably,

"Funny you should mention him, ah Hokage-sama." He wiped his hands across his neck, "it just isn't proper you know, the Br- ah boy has lived here for seven years."

"and?" Tsunade butted in not missing the man's slip. "has he caused you any trouble? Has he done anything other than be a model tenant?" she angrily growled.

Ueda seemed to shrink into himself before drawing all his spirit into his diminutive height,

"yes he has!" he burst out, "for years I have put up with it out of the good of my heart, giving him a home when you know full well no other landlord would! But this is it! The absolute final straw!" he paused for breath not even looking at Tsunade who was practically flaming with anger at the man.

"oh?" she hissed venomously, Ueda visibly trembling at her rage.

"all night he was crashing and banging around in that apartment! Several of my other residents came to me voicing concerns about the boy and I should have listened to them I should!" he gasped once he'd finished, steely resolution in his eyes. "I will not have him any longer! I want him out!"

Tsunade growled and reached forwards, grasping the man by the collar. One of the elderly ladies behind Ueda sighed and intervened, Tsunade recognised her from the civilian council,

"Ueda-san wouldn't be saying this if it wasn't well founded Hokage-sama. When he was younger it would only be occasionally we'd hear noises from his apartment, but recently there's been all manner of racket from him. Ask the boy in the morning and he claims to have not heard a thing." She shuffled closer to Tsunade and said in a hushed tone, "its making the other residents nervous Hokage-sama, worried about you-know-what having an effect on him, sending him loopy. Its not just normal noises: loud voices like theres someone in there with him." She looked away and then leaned in even closer, "but no one ever enters of leaves except him. People talk they do. Rumours say he's speaking to it." She hissed out the last few words going so far as to grip Tsunade's arm tightly.

Tsunade released Ueda, worry filling her mind. Had they missed something? Was the seal weakening and they hadn't even realised? Surely Jiraiya would have noticed if not her?

"a-and don't forget the screaming!" Ueda burst out, seemingly bolstered by her preoccupation, "moaning, groaning awful noises theres been!"

Ignoring the man Tsunade half walked half ran up the stairs to Naruto's apartment. Stopping before the door she composed herself, it could be nothing. After all, it wouldn't be the first time people had tried to get Naruto kicked out of his home, if the Sandaime's notes were correct it was why he was moved into an apartment in the first place.

Calmly she knocked on the door calling out,

"Naruto, Naruto." She paused knocking more loudly at the silence from within, "Oi, brat! You're late for you damn meeting!".

To her relief this prompted a response, a loud bang followed by the sound of many things falling drifted through the door. Just as she was about to knock the door down it opened revealing a half dressed Naruto clutching his elbow and blearily blinking up at her,

"Granny Ts'nade? Whad'ya'wan?" he slurred shaking his head in an attempt to wake up.

"You goddam brat." She sighed in relief, almost hugging him. (almost.)

She slapped him over the head instead. "Forget something Naruto?"

Naruto just stood there and blinked owlishly at her before his eyes widened.

"I was supposed to meet you in the tower." He blurted out, eyes falling to the ground and body slumping in guilt.

Tsunade sighed and shook her head,

"It's alright brat Kakashi hasn't turned up yet either so you're good, but he'll be there soon so get your butt moving." Assured Naruto was okay she turned round a began walking back to her office calling behind her, "You've got as long as it takes Maito Gai to run around Konoha five times to get to my office!"

Smirking as she heard his yelp of panic behind her she walked past Ueda and the elderly ladies who were standing there looking a mixture of confusion and worry. Maybe the old farts had some truth to their words, but most likely they were just being biased because of the kyuubi. Mentally Tsunade made a note to book Naruto a psychiatric analysis just in case, and one for Sakura too. Perhaps she could hide it under the guise of confirming Sasuke's desertion hadn't had any lasting effects on them. She should probably get Jiraiya to check the seal as well, better to be safe than sorry.

Content with her plans, Tsunade returned to her office at a leisurely pace, hopefully if she was slow enough she would miss interacting with a highly motivated Maito Gai.

* * *

Unfortunately Tsunade never got a chance to book that psychiatric appointment, because Naruto never turned up at her office.

They'd search the village from top to bottom before finally sending ANBU out to look for him. But they'd catch neither hide nor hair of him. Sakura would never truly recover from the second loss. The Konoha eleven and the two remaining sannin would for weeks torture themselves asking why they hadn't noticed something wrong.

* * *

Woah, when I started writing this I predicted it being a struggle but I'm really enjoying it so far!

I know you're probably a bit worried this fic is a Tsunade centric but don't worry it is certainly all about Naruto. who know we might even get a peek of his pov tomorrow, more than his nightmares that is!

Anyway I give my thanks to everyone reading this, please feel free to express your comments or input as reviews ( like the amazing leopardsnow!) and I leave you with this:

* * *

Shizune had worked with and for Lady Tsunade for years at this point. She had been with her through thick and thin, ups and downs... so she wanted to know why her damn master had decided that Shizune could do all the freaking paperwork for the Hokage! Safe to say even Tonton had been avoiding Tsunade recently in case they got roped into being delivery pig. Clan heads fled before the sight of Tonton, unwilling to receive piles of paperwork from the new hokage.

Shizune wasn't sure whether it was revenge for her ongoing war against her lady's alcoholism or just bad luck, but whoever told Tsunade about delegation was going to suffer.


End file.
